Peyton Manning vs. Top Ranked Defenses

[cdumler7]

NFL Network today had a stat of how Peyton has done against top defenses today and right now he is 3-1 record wise with a 6-2 touchdown-interception ratio and a 91 quarterback rating. I think I could live with that if he matched those numbers in this Super Bowl. I think if he does that then Broncos come out on top.

 

[iknowftbll]

NFL Network today had a stat of how Peyton has done against top defenses today and right now he is 3-1 record wise with a 6-2 touchdown-interception ratio and a 91 quarterback rating. I think I could live with that if he matched those numbers in this Super Bowl. I think if he does that then Broncos come out on top.

That is encouraging. I don't think the Seahawks defense plays a hard super top secret style of play either. It is not a fancy defense, it is just a big strong physical defense. They don't try to hide what they do, they challenge opponents to stop them from doing it.

I think the Broncos have the tools to do that. Sherman is one of the best, but Demaryius Thomas is going to win some of those one on one battles. I'm guessing Browner will be on Decker. Decker isn't going to go nuts in this game, but he'll win some of these battles. Welker in the slot and Orange Julius are major matchup problems for them. Then there is the X-Factor: Moreno and Ball being able to catch passes out of the back field.

The Seahawks run defense is pretty good, so the O-line and the afore mentioned team of Moreno and Ball are going to need to bring their best game of the season.

I don't see the Broncos blowing out the Seahawks, but I do see the offense being able to find a weakness and exploit it.

 

[BoBlake]

Sherman does't play a man, he plays the right side of the field.
Browner is out. We've been playing Maxwell since week 13 I think. He's doing very well. He plays the left.

This is going to be an exciting game.

What do you guys think of your team only averaging 25ppg in the playoffs (versus 37 in the regular season). Seattle is averaging 23 against the 3 and 4th ranked defenses. You guys played the 10th/11th.

 

[iknowftbll]

Sherman does't play a man, he plays the right side of the field.
Browner is out. We've been playing Maxwell since week 13 I think. He's doing very well. He plays the left.

This is going to be an exciting game.

What do you guys think of your team only averaging 25ppg in the playoffs (versus 37 in the regular season). Seattle is averaging 23 against the 3 and 4th ranked defenses. You guys played the 10th/11th.

I was aware that Sherman generally plays one side of the field, but DT is our best WR and I am guessing they'll put him on Sherman for the majority of offensive snaps.

As for the points average dropping off, no concern at all. The Broncos played a very different style of football in these playoff games. They played some serious ball control, took long drives, chewed up clock, etc. That style will result in fewer scoring opportunities, but it also limits the opponents chances. The Broncos had to scoring drives of 7+ minutes against the Patriots. They did a good job of avoiding a shootout. Ironically, Pats fans told us if they could avoid the shootout they'd win. The Broncos beat both the Chargers and Patriots at their own game.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Here are the lengths that the Saints had to go through to beat Manning in 2009:

1) They took the time to change up their defensive calls and formations to make Manning take game time to figure it out.

2) They then (by design) inserted a second change of defensive calls and such after halftime.

3) Finally, they tweaked things again for the 4th quarter.

I don't think Seattle is going to over-think it like the Saints did. I'm sure they'll come out with some new looks and such, but Carroll won't change much. He's the type that think that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Seattle's defense is FAR from broke.

I agree that it'll be J. Thomas and Welker that prove to be keys to moving the ball through the air. I think Seattle is going to gear itself to stopping Manning, so the run game will need to take advantage. Should be interesting. Denver's defense has played to the same level as the Seahawks defense the past 4 games now. The last three games Denver outscored the opposition 68-3 over the first three quarters of those games. The caveat here is that only one of those opponents was able to pull within a single score, and Denver did a much better job running out the last few minutes to slam the door. Brady and Rivers didn't even get the ball back. So I think it will also be important for Denver to jump out to a lead again, only THIS time no going into "cruise control".

I'd love to see Denver get that 55-10 monkey off their backs in this game, but I don't see us blowing out the Seahawks unless they literally fall apart (which I don't foresee).

 

[WalkerBoh]

Sherman does't play a man, he plays the right side of the field.
Browner is out. We've been playing Maxwell since week 13 I think. He's doing very well. He plays the left.

This is going to be an exciting game.

What do you guys think of your team only averaging 25ppg in the playoffs (versus 37 in the regular season). Seattle is averaging 23 against the 3 and 4th ranked defenses. You guys played the 10th/11th.

Don't think anything of it. Denver had the luxury of a 26-3 lead over the Pats, and a 24-7 lead over the Chargers. Watching the team, while they didn't let off the pedal completely, they did put it into cruise control. Plus, we left a lot of points on the field in both games that doesn't normally happen. We were mere inches away from scoring 30+ in both those games.

What do you guys think about the fact Denver has outscored it's opponents 68-3 over the first 3-3.5 quarters of their last several games?

If Sherman only plays a "side" as you say, Manning's going to try to use that to create mismatches. How confident are you in Maxwell covering D. Thomas?

 

[BoBlake]

What do you guys think about the fact Denver has outscored it's opponents 68-3 over the first 3-3.5 quarters of their last several games?

You guys have a great offense. Seattle is a 4th quarter team though. Their offense depends on wearing down your defense and then winning in the 4th. Lynch seems to wear defenses down then break out for big plays in the 2nd half.

If Sherman only plays a "side" as you say, Manning's going to try to use that to create mismatches. How confident are you in Maxwell covering D. Thomas?

I think it will be our toughest challenge all season. We haven't faced a team like Denver's offense. Thankfully we won't have to worry about Manning leaving the pocket and running on us like Kaepernick did. That will allow or LBs to drop back and help.

I'm hoping for a bad weather game of course too; I'm fairly certain that favors Seattle.

 

[cdumler7]

You guys have a great offense. Seattle is a 4th quarter team though. Their offense depends on wearing down your defense and then winning in the 4th. Lynch seems to wear defenses down then break out for big plays in the 2nd half.



I think it will be our toughest challenge all season. We haven't faced a team like Denver's offense. Thankfully we won't have to worry about Manning leaving the pocket and running on us like Kaepernick did. That will allow or LBs to drop back and help.

I'm hoping for a bad weather game of course too; I'm fairly certain that favors Seattle.

The Patriots had the same game plan with Blount of wearing down our defense to break out in the 2nd half. They held him to 5 carries for 6 yards after the week before having over 150 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now I do think Lynch is a far better back but our run defense is playing the best it has all season. Seems like guys have finally gotten healthy on our defense (other than the 6 starters on IR of course).

 

[iknowftbll]

You guys have a great offense. Seattle is a 4th quarter team though. Their offense depends on wearing down your defense and then winning in the 4th. Lynch seems to wear defenses down then break out for big plays in the 2nd half.

I think this plays right into the Broncos general style of game planning. If the Broncos play their style of game, this one may well be out of reach for the Seahawks by the 4th quarter. This will go a long way toward mitigating Lynch's role, as the Seahawks will have to win on Russell's arm. This favors the Broncos.

I think it will be our toughest challenge all season. We haven't faced a team like Denver's offense. Thankfully we won't have to worry about Manning leaving the pocket and running on us like Kaepernick did. That will allow or LBs to drop back and help.

Which hopefully for us will open up some opportunities to gain some yards on the ground.

I'm hoping for a bad weather game of course too; I'm fairly certain that favors Seattle.

I agree completely here. Bad weather generally tends to favor teams with a stronger run game on offense, and the better defense. With that said, the Broncos defense over the past 4 games has been as good as any in the league, shutting down better offenses in the Chargers and Patriots than what the Seahawks bring. On offense, both teams have stout running games.

Good weather, bad weather, this is going to be a fantastic Super Bowl.

 

[cdumler7]

I think if you really want to see how dominant the Bronco offense has been so far in the playoffs one of the best stats is that of punts. The Broncos have punted once in two games. Yes they might not be putting up the huge points but they are moving the football with ease against some pretty darn good teams. Now I will say they have struggled some of finishing drives with touchdowns which is weird since they were the best all season at it but some of that has been receivers just dropping easy catches.

 

[WalkerBoh]

You guys have a great offense. Seattle is a 4th quarter team though. Their offense depends on wearing down your defense and then winning in the 4th. Lynch seems to wear defenses down then break out for big plays in the 2nd half.



I think it will be our toughest challenge all season. We haven't faced a team like Denver's offense. Thankfully we won't have to worry about Manning leaving the pocket and running on us like Kaepernick did. That will allow or LBs to drop back and help.

I'm hoping for a bad weather game of course too; I'm fairly certain that favors Seattle.

Here's the big question: Can Seattle come back if they're down 3 scores in the 4th? Would they have enough stamina to stop Manning and the Broncos offense? Denver will try to match scores in the 4th if it's not able to stop teams completely. Also, their approach the past few games has been ball control. The defense doesn't wear down as easily if they're on the bench watching Denver move down the field for 6-7 minutes per scoring drive.

If Seattle drops back into coverage, they better be able to stop the run game with their front 4. If not, Manning will take advantage of this.

Promises to be a tough game, that's for certain. Biggest battle I think will be Beast Mode vs. Pot Roast.

 

[BigKen]

Never has a great offense beaten a great defense in the Super Bowl.

Anyone remember the Buffalo offenses that lost 4 Super Bowls in a row?

The Bears, The Saints, The Giants, The Packers, Ravens??? All had outstanding defensive teams.

The teams that these defenses beat were not crap, hell the Patriots were 18-0 scoring 41 points a game when they faced the Giants in the Super Bowl.

The thing that Broncos tend to forget is that the Seattle Seahawks are not just big. They're fast and tough and most important, these guys play nasty football. Say what you want but Peyton has not faced a defense like this. The Hawks will push the ol right into Peyton's face and doesn't have the lateral speed to get out of the pocket. Peyton will start to do his tippy toe shuffle looking to get rid iof the ball and he'll chuck it out of bounds before he'll look twice. I predict that Peyton willbe sacked at least once in the first half and he'll be "hit" at least 5 more.

I expect that Hawks will be up on the line of scrimmage and hit the WRs before they get 5yards which will force Manning to wait and see where they're going. The Broncos can't out run this secondary because they're as fast and also as big as the receivers. The Hawks are not smurfs.

The final in this Super Bowl will be a shocker Seattle 26 - Denver 22 . Seattle 4 FG Denver 5 FG

 

[cdumler7]

Never has a great offense beaten a great defense in the Super Bowl.

Anyone remember the Buffalo offenses that lost 4 Super Bowls in a row?

The Bears, The Saints, The Giants, The Packers, Ravens??? All had outstanding defensive teams.

The teams that these defenses beat were not crap, hell the Patriots were 18-0 scoring 41 points a game when they faced the Giants in the Super Bowl.

The thing that Broncos tend to forget is that the Seattle Seahawks are not just big. They're fast and tough and most important, these guys play nasty football. Say what you want but Peyton has not faced a defense like this. The Hawks will push the ol right into Peyton's face and doesn't have the lateral speed to get out of the pocket. Peyton will start to do his tippy toe shuffle looking to get rid iof the ball and he'll chuck it out of bounds before he'll look twice. I predict that Peyton willbe sacked at least once in the first half and he'll be "hit" at least 5 more.

I expect that Hawks will be up on the line of scrimmage and hit the WRs before they get 5yards which will force Manning to wait and see where they're going. The Broncos can't out run this secondary because they're as fast and also as big as the receivers. The Hawks are not smurfs.

The final in this Super Bowl will be a shocker Seattle 26 - Denver 22 . Seattle 4 FG Denver 5 FG

So many things wrong with this hard to know where to begin. First off yes a top offense has beat a top defense in the Super Bowl. San Fran in 89' had the top offense while the Broncos had the top defense. Of course we all know what happened with San Fran blowing out the Broncos. Throw in all of those games of top defenses vs. top offenses were before many of the new rule changes such as the 5 yard contact rule, the blows to the head of receivers and quarterbacks, the tuck rule, and so many others that have turned things in the favor of the offense. Not saying great defenses can't win games it is just tougher today than it ever was for those top defenses that went against high powered offenses.

2nd New England did not average 41 points a game. They averaged just under 37 points a game that season. If they averaged 41 points a game they would have been the highest scoring team in history but they are not.

Also many teams have tried the whole get up in the receivers face and bump them. As big and nasty as the Seattle players are every single one of the Bronco receivers except Wes Welker are actually bigger than the Corners that Seattle has and have had guys up in their face. They also have lots and lots of plays designed just for those teams that like to play that close up to the line of scrimmage. Heck the play that Talib got hurt on this past Sunday is exactly what I expect the Broncos to do against Seattle in playing those rub routes then also playing the bunch formation with 3 guys on the same side making it a major challenge to actually get their hands on the receiver. This isn't the first team to try this. KC, NE, Indy, San Diego, Tennessee, and others all tried this very same scheme that Seattle will most likely run against the Broncos and for the most part the Broncos have found success against it.

 

[Broncos6482]

Sherman does't play a man, he plays the right side of the field.
Browner is out. We've been playing Maxwell since week 13 I think. He's doing very well. He plays the left.

This is going to be an exciting game.

What do you guys think of your team only averaging 25ppg in the playoffs (versus 37 in the regular season). Seattle is averaging 23 against the 3 and 4th ranked defenses. You guys played the 10th/11th.

I'm not worried about. Denver has slowed their pace considerably in the playoffs compared to the regular season. I think they're doing that to help their defense as much as possible. Not counting end of game kneel downs, the Broncos have had 14 possessions and have 50 points, that's over 3 and a half points per possession. The Broncos also had a missed field goal, a dropped touchdown on third down, and a interception off a pass that hit Eric Decker in the chest, so they've left even more points on the field.

The Seahawks have needed 21 possessions (again not counting kneel downs at the end of games) to get their 46 points, that's 2.19 points per possession. So as you can see, although there's not much difference in the teams points per game, the Broncos have been far more efficient than Seattle in scoring. Not only that, the playoff Broncos have been far more efficient at scoring than even the regular season Broncos were: during the regular season, the Broncos averaged 2.98 points per possession, which was over half a point better than the second place team.

 

[Broncos6482]

Never has a great offense beaten a great defense in the Super Bowl.

Anyone remember the Buffalo offenses that lost 4 Super Bowls in a row?

The Bears, The Saints, The Giants, The Packers, Ravens??? All had outstanding defensive teams.

The teams that these defenses beat were not crap, hell the Patriots were 18-0 scoring 41 points a game when they faced the Giants in the Super Bowl.

The thing that Broncos tend to forget is that the Seattle Seahawks are not just big. They're fast and tough and most important, these guys play nasty football. Say what you want but Peyton has not faced a defense like this. The Hawks will push the ol right into Peyton's face and doesn't have the lateral speed to get out of the pocket. Peyton will start to do his tippy toe shuffle looking to get rid iof the ball and he'll chuck it out of bounds before he'll look twice. I predict that Peyton willbe sacked at least once in the first half and he'll be "hit" at least 5 more.

I expect that Hawks will be up on the line of scrimmage and hit the WRs before they get 5yards which will force Manning to wait and see where they're going. The Broncos can't out run this secondary because they're as fast and also as big as the receivers. The Hawks are not smurfs.

The final in this Super Bowl will be a shocker Seattle 26 - Denver 22 . Seattle 4 FG Denver 5 FG

 

[WalkerBoh]

edited

 

[dkmightyhammer]

Don't think anything of it. Denver had the luxury of a 26-3 lead over the Pats, and a 24-7 lead over the Chargers. Watching the team, while they didn't let off the pedal completely, they did put it into cruise control. Plus, we left a lot of points on the field in both games that doesn't normally happen. We were mere inches away from scoring 30+ in both those games.

What do you guys think about the fact Denver has outscored it's opponents 68-3 over the first 3-3.5 quarters of their last several games?

If Sherman only plays a "side" as you say, Manning's going to try to use that to create mismatches. How confident are you in Maxwell covering D. Thomas?

You can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty certain it was mentioned during one of Seattle's playoff games that they haven't allowed a TD in the first quarter this whole season. Seattle also hasn't lost a game by more than a TD in over two years. Teams may beat the Seahawks but its always close. Close enough that it can go either way at the end.

This game is seriously a strength vs strength game. I see Denver scoring a bit less than normal and I see Seattle scoring a bit more than usual (because Seattle has been playing top 10 defenses for the past month). I don't have a prediction for a score but I think its going to be close.

 

[cdumler7]

You can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty certain it was mentioned during one of Seattle's playoff games that they haven't allowed a TD in the first quarter this whole season. Seattle also hasn't lost a game by more than a TD in over two years. Teams may beat the Seahawks but its always close. Close enough that it can go either way at the end.

This game is seriously a strength vs strength game. I see Denver scoring a bit less than normal and I see Seattle scoring a bit more than usual (because Seattle has been playing top 10 defenses for the past month). I don't have a prediction for a score but I think its going to be close.

Broncos have only lost one game since Peyton got to town by more than a touchdown so like you said the game should be close. Now as for your Seattle scoring a bit more than usual we shall see. The Broncos have played 2 top 10 offenses the last 2 weeks and have them averaging 16.5 points per game and have been averaging under 17 points a game for the last month an a half of the season given up on defense. Can't look at the whole season and make a decision on how the Broncos defense is playing now. They are not the same team that gave up 48 to the Cowboys. They have finally got some players healthy that weren't earlier in the year and have really solidified themselves on that side of the ball.

 

[WalkerBoh]

You can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty certain it was mentioned during one of Seattle's playoff games that they haven't allowed a TD in the first quarter this whole season. Seattle also hasn't lost a game by more than a TD in over two years. Teams may beat the Seahawks but its always close. Close enough that it can go either way at the end.

This game is seriously a strength vs strength game. I see Denver scoring a bit less than normal and I see Seattle scoring a bit more than usual (because Seattle has been playing top 10 defenses for the past month). I don't have a prediction for a score but I think its going to be close.

While It's far more relaxing to see Denver win in a blowout, I have serious doubts that will happen. The key battle I see in this game will be Beast Mode vs. Pot Roast. The nicknames alone make this entertaining. This could be a really close game.

 

[Fox4Kings]

I think the x factor for this game is Percy Harvin. He would add a whole new element and spark to the Seattle offense.

 

[Broncos6482]

I think the x factor for this game is Percy Harvin. He would add a whole new element and spark to the Seattle offense.

Assuming he doesn't get injured his first play back.